NBD - Squier Sonic P

[Muzz]

Soooo, you may or may not have been aware of lots of my posts hand-wringing, cajoling and generally mithering around the fact that with the gig schedule I have for the rest of the year (35+ to go so far), I've been looking for lighter and lighter basses. I've tried headlesses, I've swapped stuff about, but nothing's really hit the spot. The requirements are pretty straightforward (under 8lbs, J-width nut, sounds like a P, inexpensive enough to play the Dog & Duck without fretting (SWIDT) about it) but nothing's quite matched it.

 

I found I had a light P-body in the dusty old basses pile, and tried a neck I had, but that was a P-width nut (hence its presence in the parts pile), so I was looking for a J-width neck for it, and aside from the £300 Fender ones, the best I could do new was £129 for a no-name Chinese one from t'th'Internet. So I put a wanted ad here, and after a chat with Raslee of this parish (thanks again, someone please go and buy the necks he's selling) who was selling one, I went to look at the Squier Sonic Ps, which, although said to be very light, I hadn't really looked at because I'd assumed, as you do, that they were a P-width nut. Not so, a 1.5" nut, and I could get a whole bass for £150 delivered. In a rare moment of giddiness (and without thought of SWMBO, but then again I've found it's easier to seek forgiveness than ask permission sometimes) I pushed the button. It turned up the very next day, and despite glowing reviews, my hopes weren't exactly stratospheric; I mean, a whole new bass for £150 delivered? I just hoped the neck would be OK, perhaps with some work by my luthier.

 

Turns out it's a very, very nice bass, very playable, good fretwork, super-tight neck pocket and a surprisingly good pickup. And light - juuust over 8lbs. Obviously, there's better basses out there, but it's astounding for the money. I could have gigged it as it came out of the box (action down to around or just below 2mm without buzzing on all strings (D'Addarios, no less)), but I already had some bits I'd used on other basses, so a happy hour was spent putting Hipshot Ultralights/Xtender, a Dimarzio DP122, a better (Fender) bridge and a scratchplate with a Kigon loom on it, and now it's properly giggable, and best of all...7lbs 13oz.

 

Granted, all from new the additions would double the cost, but even for £300, it's still a great bass.

 

As Marty DiBergi said, enough of my yakkin, here she is:

 

Edited June 26, 2024 by Muzz

[PaulThePlug]

Not a Sunburst fan... too much Yellow and Red... but a Tobacco Burst, now ya talking!

Looking Good with a Normal Mapel Neck n Fretboard, again not a New Fangled Roasted Fan...

And the Anodised plate set'd it of as your own.

Edited June 26, 2024 by PaulThePlug

[Muzz]

Oh, and for the tonewood types out there, she's a maple neck and a poplar body...add a DP122, a Kigon loom and stainless Elixirs and she sounds exactly like an angry P-bass...

Edited June 26, 2024 by Muzz

[Seadunk]

Thats a lovely bass! But i would be kinda inclined to agree as yours looks pretty much exactly like mine! I haven't made any changes except for the scratchplate. For £150 they are a killer instrument. Fretwork was great on mine, and nice low action. Pickups sounded decent considering the cost of the instrument. I just put some cheap flats on mine and I love how it feels to play

 

Edited June 26, 2024 by Seadunk

[BassApprentice]

Nice work! Where did you source your gold scratchplates? 

[Muzz]

Mine's something I've had for an age on another bass - can't remember exactly where I got it, but it's got a WD Music sticker on the back...it's plastic, kinda 2-ply, black with gold on top...

[Guest]

There's a very light bitsa P with J neck on SC atm

 

 

 

[Lozz196]

Nice review @Muzz, I’ve been looking for a reasonably priced lightweight Precision with J-neck for gigs, will check these out.

[Muzz]

43 minutes ago, Munurmunuh said:

There's a very light bitsa P with J neck on SC atm

 

 

 

Well, that would come up now I'm sorted, after months of looking...3kg? With a hi-mass bridge and standard tuners? Blimey, that's one really, really, really light piece of Alder...

[hooky_lowdown]

1 hour ago, BassApprentice said:

Nice work! Where did you source your gold scratchplates? 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dopro-Modern-Style-Aluminium-Precision-Pickguard/dp/B09BN8MJRK?th=1

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Muzz said:

3kg? With a hi-mass bridge and standard tuners? Blimey, that's one really, really, really light piece of Alder...

 

I recently learnt that the bridge on my featherlight LB-100 accounts for 10% of its 7 lbs

Edited June 26, 2024 by Munurmunuh

[Muzz]

That G&L bridge is a monster, tho...I'm always surprised that manufacturers don't state even a range of weights for basses which are as light as this: just looked online, and there's no mention in anything official...

Edited June 27, 2024 by Muzz

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, Muzz said:

That G&L bridge is a monster, tho.

 

People are always sceptical about these featherweight G&Ls not having neckdive. Clearly the ultralight tuners are important, but now I'm wondering if that monster bridge at the other end of the string is half of the equation

[velvetkevorkian]

If they did that it would mean additional work/waste at the factory filtering out parts that would make it too heavy. This way they're not committing to anything.

[Guest]

I once saw a virtually brand new built to order L-2000 on sale. Despite being empress/pawlonia, it was 8 lbs - not what you expect when paying the extra $100 for the alternate wood. As vkk says, they're not committing to anything. Poor sod waited half a year and didn't get what they were hoping for. Tough.

[Guest]

57 minutes ago, Muzz said:

I'm always surprised that manufacturers don't state even a range of weights for basses which are as light as this: just looked online, and there's no mention in anything official...

 

I just double-checked on the Sandberg site - they do give a couple of "approx" figures for their Superlight active jazz: 3kg for the 4-string, 3.6kg for the 5-string

[Muzz]

Yeah, I get that a lot of them don't want to commit to (and get returns from) a specific weight, but some manufacturers (like Sandberg) will give ballparks - after all, it's part of the design. I think that in advertising lightweight basses extensively there may well still be a reluctance to go against the hangover of the old 'Tone comes from weight' myth - you've only got to look on that site over the water to see that vociferously still expounded...

[Guest]

I recall a recent ish thread about someone getting Sandberg to give another of their models the Superlight treatment.

 

And so I'm considering their California Central 4 string done like that. Humbucker in the Stingray spot (but wired in series) plus 3-band eq with passive option.

Edited June 27, 2024 by Munurmunuh
Link added

[Raslee]

So I did exactly the same, bought the California blue P, fitted a EMG Geezer B and a USA P neck that I had. But @Muzz is absolutely right, the original maple jazz width Squier neck is sublime but I will be selling mine (brand new if any interest here 😉😂).
Anyhow I’m chuffed to bits with my P project. Rehearsed it tonight and it was the dogs dangling bits and best of all weighs 7.9lbs and no neck dive.

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